Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, Wednesday, called on Nigerians paying a ransom to secure freedom for their abducted loved ones to feel free to approach the courts to compel the federal government to refund same because, in his words, “the responsibility for protecting lives and properties lies squarely with the government.”

Falana disclosed this yesterday at the 18th Anti-Corruption Situation Room, ACSR, organized by the HEDA Resource Centre in partnership with the McArthur Foundation.

The senior advocate who was the keynote speaker at the event also flayed anti-graft agencies in the land for what he called the selective prosecution of corrupt cases; a development he stressed, makes winning the fight against corruption difficult.

Falana said: “If a family pays a ransom to secure freedom of their abducted ones; they should approach the courts and demand a refund of the amount paid because the primary responsibility of government is to secure the people.”